On May 20, 1873, a tailor named Jacob Davis and a dry goods merchant named Levi Strauss were granted U.S. patent #139,121 for putting metal rivets at the points of strain on work pants, the pocket corners and the base of the button fly. Davis was in Reno, Strauss was in San Francisco, and the partnership began with a letter. Those first riveted pants were cut for men, and they were called waist overalls until 1960. Nobody was drawing them for a woman with a 34 inch leg, which is why jeans for tall women still take a little hunting.

The fit problem is not new, and it is not mysterious. A women's fit guide puts it plainly: "inseam is the measurement from the crotch seam down to the bottom hem of your jeans." The 1958 U.S. sizing standard already carried height codes, tall, regular and short, and a shop for tall women opened on Chiltern Street in Marylebone in 1976.

Here is where I would begin in October, with straight legs, because they are the easiest to boot. Paige makes the Mason in a dark Isola wash with a built-in 34 inch inseam, and I would wear it with a chunky knit and ankle boots. Levi's has the 501 '90s in a light wash and the Ribcage Straight in dark, both in its longest length, and the 501 Original in a medium wash. Abercrombie offers the 90s Straight with a frayed hem in Extra Long, and American Eagle sells its low-rise classic straight in X-Long, about 34 inches where the Regular is 30.

The practical tip: lay a pair you already love flat and measure from the crotch seam straight down to the hem with a tape measure. Do it in the shoes you plan to wear, then buy to that number.

A wide leg is the cut that punishes a short inseam first, because all that fabric needs length to fall properly. Pull it up an inch and it looks like a mistake. The same fit guide notes that bootcut and flare run longer by design, and I would apply that logic to every wide leg on this list.

Paige has two worth knowing. The Frances in Serata has a long, clean line from the hip, and the Leenah in Basilica is the more relaxed one, a cool mid wash with room through the leg. Both are built at 34 inches. Abercrombie's high rise wide leg in dark wash and its trouser-style wide leg in blue both come in Extra Long, about 34.5 inches. I would wear the trouser one with a tucked-in fine knit and a loafer with some heft.

Levi's Ribcage Wide Leg in a medium wash is ultra high rise, and the 318 Shaping Wide Leg in dark wash gives you the same 34 inches in a simpler cut. Mother's Patch Pocket Hustler is the fun one, with patch pockets and an exposed zip at the hem, also at 34 inches. American Eagle's lowest-rise baggy wide leg in medium tinted indigo is the longest of the bunch, about 35 inches against a Regular of 31.

The test: stand in the jeans with your shoes on and look in the mirror from the side. The hem should graze the top of the shoe without puddling and without a gap.

What I would skip: a wide leg at 32 inches with the plan to wear heels every day. You will keep tugging it down.

The word bootcut sounds like a style note, but it is really a length note. A leg that kicks out at the hem needs to cover the boot, which means it needs inches. That is why I would start with the pairs sold in a true long length, some of which go past 34.

Good American makes the two longest in the edit. The Always Fits Good Classic Bootcut Long in Indigo446 is a slim bootcut with a subtle flare, made for anyone 5 foot 9 and over, at a 36 inch inseam. The Legs Flare Long in a dark Indigo1317 wash goes to 37 inches, and I would wear it with a black turtleneck and a pointed boot. Abercrombie's high rise bootcut in a light wash comes in Extra Long, about 36 inches.

Paige gives you the Stevie Bootcut in a faded black called Rush and the high rise Laurel Canyon in Bespoke, a slim thigh and a flared hem, both at 34 inches. Mother has the Doozy in light blue Room Service, a high rise flare with a zip fly, and the Runaway in dark blue Pinkies Up, a skinny flare with a kick. Levi's Wedgie Bootcut in medium wash is the plain, dependable one at its longest 34 inch length.

Fitting-room test: sit down, then cross your legs. If the hem rides above your ankle bone when you sit, you will notice it all day.

What I would skip: a flare with a dramatic hem if it is the only tall option in your size. It looks best when the length is just right, not close.

Baggy jeans are the one place where I think tall women have an advantage, because the fabric needs height to stack and fall. The catch is that the stacking has to land where you want it.

Abercrombie runs most of this group. The High Rise 90s Relaxed Jean comes up twice in blue, both in Extra Long at about 35.5 inches, and I like it with a white tee and a leather jacket. The Low Rise Ultra Loose is the slouchier one, about 34.75 inches. Levi's has the Low Loose in a light wash, the Middy Balloon in dark wash with a hem that curves in, and the Baggy Dad in medium wash, all at 34 inches.

American Eagle's lowest-rise baggy wide leg is here in dark wash and in a light vintage wash, X-Long at about 35 inches. A low rise sits lower on the hip, so check the rise as well as the length.

The test I would use: put your arms up and bend over. A low or lowest rise has to stay put without constant adjusting, and the hem has to still cover your sock when you lift a foot.

Sizing note from the same fit guide: if your inseam falls between two lengths, choose the longer one, because you can always hem for a better fit. The reverse is not true. Nobody can add inches back.

What I would skip: a balloon leg that stops above the ankle bone, unless you want it cropped on purpose.

Black and white denim is where length is easiest to see. A dark jean hides a lot of sins, and a white one hides none, so a short hem on white looks like a hem that gave up.

On the black side, Abercrombie's high rise wide leg comes in Extra Long, about 34.5 inches, and the No Fade High Rise 90s Relaxed Jean is made to keep its deep color wash after wash, about 35.5 inches. American Eagle has black in two shapes, the lowest-rise baggy wide leg at about 35 inches and the low-rise classic straight at about 34. Paige offers two black flares, the Genevieve in Black Shadow and the Sofia in plain black with a front yoke and center front seams, both at 34 inches.

For white, Levi's has the Ribcage Wide Leg in crisp white, ultra high rise, and the 318 Shaping Wide Leg in white. Both are at 34 inches. I would wear either with a camel coat and a gray knit, because white denim does not have to stop in September.

The check: hold white denim up to a window before you buy. If it is see-through, it is a summer pair, and the pocket bags will show through anyway.

What I would skip: a black jean in a long inseam without checking the wash. A faded black can look gray under store lights and brown outdoors.

I would begin with the number. Measure a pair you love, in the shoes you will wear, and write down the inseam. Then pick a shape, straight if you want an easy first pair, wide leg if you like drama, flare if you live in boots.

Next I would check the rise, because an ultra high rise and a lowest rise are not the same pair even at the same length. Then the hem, sitting and standing. I would buy the longer length when I was unsure.

Davis wrote a letter to fix a pair of pants that kept splitting. Over a century and a half later, the fix I want is two inches of denim.